Bumper for carpet sweepers



F. w. PULLEN 2,057,345

BUMPER FOR CARPET SWEEPERS "Oct. 13, was.

. Filed Aug. 31, 1955 aw n QQ I v n n w INVENTOR. Fred W. Puller) ATTORNEY= Patented Oct. 13, 1936' BUMPER FOR CARPET SWEEPERS Fred W. Pullen, Grand Rapids, Mich., assignor to Bissell Carpet Sweeper Company, Grand Rapids, Mich.

Application August 3'1, 1 2:. Serial No. 38,772

9 Claims.

The objectsof my invention are: First, to produce a newand improved bumper for a carpet sweeper case.

Second, to provide-such a bumper which isof 5 extreme resiliency, very inexpensive and of .at-

tractive appearance. 1

Third,'to,produce such a bumper of rubber or other resilient material which may be made of ,a normally straight extruded strip which has the appearance of solid rubber, but which has a cushion effect greater than solid rubber and which is easily and inexpensively installed on acarpet sweeper case. 7

Fourth, to provide with such. a bumper, means for maintaining'the attractive appearance of the carpet sweeper when the bumper extends around the corners thereof Further objectsand advantages pertaining to details and economies of construction andoperation will appear from the description to follow. A preferred embodiment of my invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, inwhich:

.Fig. 1 is :a top plan view of a carpet sweeper with my improved bumper installed, agportion of the bumperbeing shown in section.

.Fig. .12 is a perspective end view of acarpet sweeper case with my improved bumper.

Fig. 3 is a detail .sectionalview showing the arrangement of the bumper atcthe corner of the sweeper .case.

Fig. 4 is a cross sectional view taken on line 4--4 of Fig. 1, showing the bumper installed on the carpet sweeper case.

Fig. 5 is a sectional view of the extruded rubber strip before it is put in place on the carpet sweeper case.

Fig. 6 is a detail sectional view taken on line 6-45 of Fig. 3.

In the drawing, 1 is a carpet sweeper case which is made up of a central case 2 and end members 3 which are supported on the usual floor wheels 4 which are not shown in detail as they form no part of this particular invention.

5 is the bail of the carpet sweeper. 6 is the bumper which is of resilient material, preferably rubber. The strip is formed of extruded rubber which may be made by automatic machinery much less expensively than the customary molded rubber bumpers for carpet sweepers. The rubber strip 6 is cut to a length less than the periphery of the rectangular carpet sweeper case and the ends are welded together by a rubber welding process as at I, forming an endless rubber strip. The cross section of the strip is shown in Figs. 4 and 5. A base 8 is provided and walls 9 form a channel in said strip, the walls 9 having their free ends l0 extending from the edges of the base 8 to substantially meet, as shown in Fig. 5. The back I l of the strip 6 and base 8 forms a case contacting portion and the edges 12 thereof are 5 raised'from the adjacent portions of the back contactingbase. The reason for this arrangementis thatwhen the "bumper istensioned about the carpet sweeper case by stretching, the case contacting face II contacts'the case I as shown 10 in Fig. 4. The raised edges 12 of the back of the strip contact the case I and tend to force the free'edges ii) of the walls 9 together as shown. The arched walls give much greater resiliency than would .a solid bumper when furniture is bumped during the use, of the carpet sweeper. Thisalso tends to give the appearance of a solid piece of rubber, as the tendency for the free ends .lflof the walls 9 to gap'is overcome by the force exerted by the-raised portions l2 contacting the 1: sweeper case I asshown' in Fig.- 4. 7

As shown in-Fig. 3, each corner of the bumper is provided with a section of cord [5 which is disposed within and substantially fills the core l4 of thestrip .6. The piece of cord l5 tends to fill out the hollow core M at the corners l6 so that the bumper willznot collapse at this point. A nail ll extends through one end of the cord and ,throughthe base 8 of the strip 6 andinto the p casing at-the point 18 as shown in Fig. 3, ,tendingqgo to hold the bumper and the cord in position. The walls 9 of the strip 6 close around the cord and the nail concealing them from View.

This method, of fastening the bumper at the corner is most satisfactory, because the cords and nails can be inserted with great facility making the installation of the bumper on the case very inexpensive. The rubber bumper itself is much less expensive than a solid rubber bumper and is more resilient because of the hollow core which is substantially sealed to retain the air therein to serve as a cushion. By forming the strip as I do, it is possible to fasten the bumper to the sweeper without allowing any nails or other fastening means to show.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a carpet sweeper, the combination of a substantially rectangular case having an endless 5 bumper of normally straight resilient material tensioned therearound, said bumper having a base with walls extending therefrom to meet at a point spaced from the base to form a hollow core andhaving a case contacting back having its 55 edges raised from the adjacent portions thereof and contacting said case, whereby the meeting walls are forced toward one another, a piece of cord extending around each corner of the case and disposed within and filling said hollow core, and a nail extending through each piece of cord and through said bumper and into said case, said pieces of cord and nails being concealed by said bumper.

2. In a carpet sweeper, the combination of a substantially rectangular case having an endless bumper of normally straight resilient material tensioned therearound, said bumper having a base with walls extending therefrom to meet at a point spaced from the base to form a hollow core and having a case contacting back having its edges raised from the adjacent portions theref and contacting said case, whereby the meeting walls are forced toward one another, and a piece of cord extending around each corner of the case and disposed within and filling said hollow core.

3. In a carpet sweeper, the combination of a substantially rectangular case having a bumper of normally straight resilient material tensioned therearound, said bumper having a base with walls extending therefrom to meet at a point spaced from the base to form a hollow core and having a case contacting back having its edges raised from the adjacent portions thereof and contacting said case, whereby the meeting walls are forced toward one another, a piece of cord extending around each corner of the case and disposed within and filling said hollow core, and a nail extending through each piece of cord and through said bumper and into said case, said pieces of cord and nails being concealed by said bumper.

4. In a carpet sweeper, the combination of a substantially rectangular case having a. bumper of normallly straight resilient material tensioned therearound, said bumper having a base with walls extending therefrom to meet at a point spaced from the base to form a hollow core and having a case contacting back having its edges raised from the adjacent portions thereof and contacting said case, whereby the meeting walls are forced toward one another, and a piece of cord extending around each corner of the case and disposed within and filling said hollow core.

5. In a carpet sweeper, the combination of a case having an endless bumper of normally straight resilient material tensioned therearound, said bumper having a base with walls extending therefrom to meet at a point spaced from the base to form a hollow core and having a case contacting back having its edges raised from the adjacent portions thereof and contacting said case, whereby the meeting walls are forced toward one another.

6. In a carpet sweeper, the combination of a case having a bumper of normally straight resilient material therearound, said bumper having a base with walls extending therefrom to meet at a point spaced from the base to form a hollow core and having a case contacting back having its edges raised from the adjacent portions thereof and contacting said case, whereby the meeting walls are forced toward one another.

7. In a carpet sweeper, the combination of a substantially rectangular case having a bumper of normally straight resilient material tensioned therearound, said bumper having a base with walls extending therefrom to meet at a point spaced from the base to form a hollow core, a piece of cord extending around each corner of the case and disposed withing and filling said hollow core, and a nail extending through each piece of cord and through said bumper and into said case, said pieces of cord and nails being concealed by said bumper.

8. In a carpet sweeper, the combination of a substantially rectangular case having a bumper of normally straight resilient material tensioned therearound, said bumper having a base with walls extending therefrom to meet at a point spaced from the base to form a hollow core, and

a piece of cord extending around each corner of the case and disposed within and filling said hollow core.

9. A bumper for a carpet sweeper case comprising a channeled strip of resilient material having a base with the channel forming walls of said strip extending from its edges and over said base and having their free edges substantially meeting, said base having a case contacting back having its edges raised from the adjacent portions thereof to contact the case to force the free edges of said walls together.

FRED W. PULLEN. 

